President Donald Trump is preparing to deliver his first State of the Union address. But what exactly goes into the making of this annual address? On this governmentality short, I spoke with Jennifer Grossman, CEO of the Atlas Society and former speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush. We discussed the importance of the State of the Union address, the power struggles that make the speech what it is and what the address means from a president who keeps the public updated via Twitter.

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Guest:

Jennifer Anju Grossman is the CEO of the Atlas Society and a former White House speechwriter under the George H.W. Bush administration. Grossman is a former senior vice president at Dole Food Company and served as director of education at the Cato Institute. Follow her on Twitter: @JenAnjuGrossman

Discussed on the show:

• Bill Clinton's 1995 State of the Union speech
• John F. Kennedy's 1963 speech

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The governmentality podcast was produced and edited by Michele Zipkin. The show's music was composed and performed by Jeremy Carlstedt.